Singapore 2014. Land of the Chili Crab

Going to take the cliché route here; Singapore is a large melting pot of cultures and an economic hub of South-East Asia. It’s very multicultural with many people coming from China, India, Malaysia as well as The Philippines. Almost everyone speaks English or the local language ‘Singlish’ which is a bit of a mishmash of Malay, Chinese and English that is easy to understand. It’s a huge port city with countless commercial flights and cargo ships passing through here everyday

Singapore was recently rated as the most expensive city to live but as a student however I’ve found it’s actually more affordable then Sydney. The food is cheap, averaging about $5 for a decent meal. It’s also very cheap and easy to get around via the ‘MRT’ train system.  There are countless buses and taxis to take you anywhere and everywhere for relatively low cost.

Tourism is big here with the government even building an entire island to cater for it. ‘Sentosa’ is the place to go for beach bars and clubs as well as various theme parks and rides. Clarke Quay is also great for bars and clubs. Singaporeans love their food, chilli crab is awesome and Marina Bay is place to try it out. There’s also various nature reserves zoos, safaris, gardens such as ‘Gardens by the Bay’ and little islands to explore such as ‘Pulau Ubin’.

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) the university I’m studying at is huge! Sometimes you need to take a bus just to get around. The university is surrounded by dense jungle that’s used by the military for their training. The size of the university is a somewhat stark contrast to the rest of Singapore where space is limited. It’s a little bit isolated but there is heaps of sports clubs to join and different events held every week. I’ve tagged along to a few nights out, beach parties and have even gone sailing on the harbour. There are loads of exchange students in Singapore many coming from Canada to enjoy the hot weather of Singapore. The scenery here is beautiful. The university is built on small hills and is littered with tropical foliage.

The academic environment here is very competitive. Students of every major tend to put in huge study hours. Lectures are recorded which is very convenient however it leaves the lecture theatres very empty with most students opting to watch the online versions. The teaching staff are all very professional and well accomplished with most speaking excellent English.

Once exams are over I intend on really getting to explore Singapore as well as the many nearby countries. I’m hoping to get to see Japan, Taiwan, Laos and Cambodia. After a bit of time off I intend on joining a large engineering company and experience working life in Singapore as part of an internship which will undoubtedly be a great boost to my engineering career.

Michael Haughey.